With the boating season starting, people are being advised to check their boats and equipment before heading out on the water.

Bay of Plenty harbourmaster Peter Buell says a lot of boats have been sitting unused in a marina or on a trailer for some time.

'Take the time to go over them and make sure that all of your equipment is working properly, that your batteries are properly charged and that you've done the all of the maintenance that you need. So when you go out those first few times you don't get yourself into any additional trouble.”

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is part of a nationwide ‘No Excuses' campaign focusing on recreational boaties who don't carry or wear lifejackets or whose speed on the water is unsafe.

BOPRC was one of the first councils to take part in the campaign when it started in 2016.

Peter says rules around life jackets and correct speed is something a lot of people don't fully understand.

'Life jackets are the most obvious one, speed is another one of the ones that we have a lot of issues with and people don't understand the rules as well as they should.

'By focusing on those issues, if we if we could actually get them right all the time we'd all be an awful lot safer on the water.”

He says the council patrols the lakes and harbours on a daily basis and last year, they loaned around 300 life jackets to people that didn't have them so they could enjoy their day on the water safely.

He says it's quite common for people not to wear life jackets even if they have them because conditions on the water are good.

'A lot of them don't understand if they have an inflatable lifejacket and their boat tips over the life jacket will sink. They're not going to be able to get to it and it's very, very difficult to put a life jacket on once you're in the water.

He says new life jackets are so comfortable there's no excuse not to wear it.

'They're so comfortable these days, why not wear it and be safe.”

Boating speed rules are universal around the country but Peter says these are broken very often.

'Those rules are all the same everywhere, so everyone should know them. It's particularly distressing when you see boats interacting in areas where kids are swimming and there's paddle borders because somebody could fall and an accident can happen very quickly.

'If people learn the rules and then follow the rules, we will have a much safer community on the water and that will mean it's going to be enjoyable for everybody.”

Throughout the summer maritime officers and harbourmasters will check that people are complying with the safety rules, including those for life jackets, speed, dive flags and towing with an observer.

Action will be taken against boaties who break lifejacket and speed rules, including infringement notices of up to $300.

'Harbourmasters and maritime officers are working together on the water to ensure boaties know, understand and follow the rules,” says Maritime NZ Deputy Director, Sharyn Forsyth.

'Up to two-thirds of recreational boaties who drown might have been saved if they wore lifejackets.

'Boaties speeding in busy areas is dangerous and can injure children, swimmers, divers and people in small craft.

'Safe boaties follow the rules each and every time they go on the water. There are no excuses for breaking the rules and causing risk to yourself and others.”